--Google Politics & Elections blog, “Huntsman receives post-debate bump in searches,” by Samantha Smith: “[W]e compared search traffic for each of the candidates on Saturday to searches for their names on Monday during the same time period. … Jon Huntsman saw the sharpest increase in search traffic at 50%. He was followed by Newt Gingrich (+21%), Mitt Romney (+18%), and Ron Paul (+8%). Rick Santorum was the only candidate who actually saw a decrease in search traffic (-35%).” http://bit.ly/zM8LCV

AN OBAMA OFFICIAL: “Chicago takes over Union Leader website -- With all eyes on the GOP in New Hampshire, the Obama campaign has quietly stuck its thumb in the eye of the Republican field, running a banner and border ad wrapping the entire front page of the state's major newspaper's website. It's the second time the Chicago team has pulled this trick, doing the same at the Des Moines Register website the day of the Iowa caucus.”

--The banner, next to the Union Leader logo: “New Hampshire Primary Results: THE TEA PARTY AGENDA WINS!” There’s a “FIGHT BACK” button, and in smaller type, “PAID FOR BY OBAMA FOR AMERICA.”

REMEMBERING TONY BLANKLEY, who died Saturday night at age 63, after battling stomach cancer -- Statement by Rob Rehg, president of the Edelman Washington office: “Tony's integrity, intellect and mastery of history and politics enriched our lives. He brightened our world with his colorful sartorial style, good humor and wonderful story telling.”

ROMNEY’S ROAD: GOP RIVALS VOW LONG FIGHT: “For conservative opponents such as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, the wild ups and downs of the campaign so far offer little inducement to bow to Romney’s purported inevitability. If the GOP rank and file is swinging into the Romney camp, national polls don’t show it yet. And thanks to new party rules that forbid states from holding winner-take-all primaries before April, Romney’s opponents recognize it will be difficult for him to clinch a majority of delegates anytime soon. So even if Romney plows through the remaining January primaries, … he may still have a costly, irksome … nomination process ahead of him — a long march that could drain resources and make him a more bruised and battered victor. … In a Jon Huntsman campaign memo circulated Sunday, senior adviser John Weaver argued that the primary ‘battle will go on well into the spring, until a decisive set of primaries between only two or perhaps three candidates have concluded.’” http://bit.ly/wAujWb

COMING ATTRACTIONS – THE BAIN ATTACK -- Reid J. Epstein and Jim VandeHei: “Forget his specific rivals. The biggest threat to Mitt Romney is hitting now and set to fully detonate in South Carolina … while conservatives look unlikely to unite around one alternative to Romney, the campaigns themselves are uniting around the theme that the former head of Bain Capital looted companies, tossed people out of jobs and is now exaggerating his success at the venture capital firm. In the context of this moment in American politics, in which frustration with the privileged is boiling hot, the attack, from Republicans on one side and the Obama campaign on the other, will test Romney.” http://bit.ly/zCLWXn

--NEWT GINGRICH, at a media avail. in Manchester yesterday: “[I]f somebody is going to crumble, they better crumble before the nomination. You don't want to end up in September with a nominee who has been untested and can't stand it. And it's pretty clear to me that at some point in the next week or so, Governor Romney is going to have to have a fairly long press conference and he's going to have to answer a lot of questions. I mean, it's not complicated. Read The Wall Street Journal [on Bain Capital] this morning. … [T]he fact is there are legitimate questions. Those legitimate questions have been surfacing in places likes The Wall Street Journal and Reuters and what have you. There are going to be more of those questions, and at some point Governor Romney is going to have to answer them.

“And I think it's a legitimate question about exactly what happened, where did the money go, who got the money, what happened to the people involved … [H]e’s the one who went around … and said, ‘Look, I've had these 20 years' experience.’ Fine. Now let's talk about the 20 years' experience. … What you have to raise questions about is somebody goes out, invests a certain amount of money, say $30 million; takes out -- and I'll say, 180 million: 6-to-1 return. And then the company goes bankrupt. And you have to ask a question: Is that really what -- is capitalism really about the ability of a handful of rich people to manipulate the lives of thousands of other people and walk off with the money or is that in fact somehow a little bit of a flawed system? And so I do draw a distinction between looting a company, leaving behind broken families and broken neighborhoods and leaving behind a factory that should be there.”

BEHIND THE CURTAIN – “Anti-Romney Bain film: The back story,” by Kenneth P. Vogel: “Before Newt Gingrich’s super PAC paid $40,000 for the stinging anti-Mitt Romney documentary that’s roiling the GOP presidential campaign, Jon Huntsman’s allies expressed interest in it. Veteran GOP adman Fred Davis, who is a key adviser to the pro-Huntsman Our Destiny PAC, was impressed by the introduction to the half-hour documentary, ‘When Mitt Romney Came to Town,’ and took it to his group’s board… Still, he predicted the film’s portrayal of Romney as a cold-hearted ‘corporate raider’ could be used to devastating effect against the former Massachusetts governor. ‘Think “Swift Boats,”’ he said of the movie …

“Though the full documentary has yet to be released, a three-minute trailer posted on Winning Our Future’s website features interviews with people who worked at companies taken over by Bain, who bash Romney while a narrator accuses him of ‘exploiting dozens of American businesses.’ Romney’s campaign has cried foul over the movie’s line of attack, asserting it plays into Democrats’ hands by vilifying capitalism … And some conservatives have suggested funny business, questioning the money and motives behind the movie, which is likely to become a major force in the coming days. The pro-Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future – fueled by a $5 million contribution from casino magnate Sheldon Adelson – intends to use the movie as the basis for a hard-hitting multi-million-dollar advertising campaign targeting Romney this week in South Carolina.” http://bit.ly/y4Ggor

TONIGHT: John F. Harris and Mike Allen host livestreamed primary coverage, beginning at 7 p.m. The show will feature instant analysis from POLITICOs on the ground in N.H., appearances by Republican strategist Doug Heye and other special guests, plus live results. In Iowa, we went for six hours – should be a shorter night. Pre-game show at 4 p.m., featuring Ken Vogel, Alex Burns, Maggie Haberman, Dave Levinthal and Anna Palmer. www.politico.com/livestream

PAUL HARVEY’S “REST OF THE STORY” – The Romney campaign emails reporters, with subject line, “Firing Insurance Companies”: “Our opponents are taking Gov. Romney’s comments completely out of context. Governor Romney was talking about firing insurance companies if you don’t like their service. That is something that most Americans agree with. … Thanks for taking care in your reporting on this topic.”

--ROMNEY, at a Nashua Chamber of Commerce breakfast yesterday: “I want people to be able to own their own insurance if they wish to. And to buy it for themselves and perhaps keep it the rest of their life and to choose among different policies offered from companies across the nation. I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means that if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. You know, if someone doesn’t give me the good service I need I want to say ‘You know, I’m going to go get someone else to provide that service to me.’” YouTubehttp://bit.ly/vZMvOM

--CLEANUP, AISLE 4 – Romney, at a later media avail. in Hudson: “As you know, I was talking about insurance companies. … I do not want to live in a world where we have Obamacare telling us which insurance we have to have … ]I believe in a setting, as I described this morning, where people are able to choose their own doctor, choose their own insurance company. If they do not like their insurance company or their provider, they can get rid of them. That is the way America works. I know free enterprise is on trial and we have a president who really does not believe in the rights of people to do that, but I believe in the right of people to get rid of an insurance company they do not want.” YouTube http://bit.ly/A2xlnH

--GREG SARGENT: “Romney was saying he likes to have the option of replacing his health insurance if he judges it to be sub par. Of course, by Romney’s own standard of accuracy, clipping this down to ‘I like being able to fire people’ is completely fair game. As you’ll recall, the Romney campaign boasted about their ad ripping Obama’s words out of context in order to show him saying it’s politically dangerous for him to talk about his economic record, when in fact he was quoting a McCain adviser saying this.” http://wapo.st/zBa5U5

FIRSTEST IN THE NATION – Union Leader -- “Dixville Notch does its duty … DIXVILLE — Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman each took two votes as the first ballots were cast in the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.”

--“Hart’s Location voters put Romney on top … HART’S LOCATION — With five votes, Mitt Romney was the winner in this tiny community, though President Barack Obama held his own with 10 votes. At midnight, a total of 23 votes were cast in town hall for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Voting took two minutes and 26 seconds. Republican Ron Paul captured four votes, Jon Huntsman two, and Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich received one each.

TOP TALKER – “Huntsman plays out a big gamble on NH primary,” by AP’s Holly Ramer: Jon “Huntsman, who skipped the Iowa caucuses to stake his candidacy on a strong showing in Tuesday's primary, has struggled to win over New Hampshire's conservative Republicans. He's been making an aggressive play for independent voters, who can vote in the GOP primary, and has shown signs of gaining ground in the last few days. … Huntsman … adopted Sen. John McCain's old campaign slogan ‘Country First’ and had large signs displaying that message at his final campaign event Monday night, a rally in Exeter. He told the crowd to remember the word ‘trust’ when they vote Tuesday, saying it encompasses his entire campaign.”

** A message from Toyota: Our Toyota team members don't just lend a hand in the places we call home. They lend thousands. Last year alone, Toyota's team members volunteered 100,000 hours in communities all across America. It's how we help make the great community greater still. Check out the action at www.ToyotaInAction.com. **

25th ANNIVERSARY: Charlie and Judy Black, who met at the 1976 Republican convention, and are celebrating in N.H. (hat tip: Steve Duprey)

TOP STORY – Chicago Tribune p. 1, “Daley’s White House exit: If the timing of Bill Daley’s resignation was surprising, the move was not — the chief of staff struggled to find his comfort zone in a polarized D.C.,” by Christi Parsons and Peter Nicholas: “Obama announced Monday that Daley, who three months ago said he would remain [as White House chief of staff] until after the 2012 election, would be replaced by budget director Jacob Lew, … In November, Obama announced a change in management that left Daley with a reduced role. Daley kept his title, but many of the day-to-day operational duties shifted to Peter Rouse, a trusted Obama confidant … Daley had little in the way of a personal relationship with Obama. … The White House touted his pro-business credentials and hoped he would improve relations with conservative lawmakers and the corporate sector, but the chill persisted.” http://trib.in/zxTsK4

--SENATE NOT REALLY INTO CONFIRMING FOLKS, so ACTING OMB director is likely for rest of year. No, it will NOT be David Walker. Not in a million years.

--JACK LEW BIO: “confirmed by the Senate on November 18, 2010, as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a position he previously held from 1998 to 2001. Before returning to OMB, Lew was the first Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources … Before joining the State Department, Lew served as managing director and chief operating officer of Citi Global Wealth Management and then Citi Alternative Investments (CAI). … From 1979 to 1987, he was a principal domestic policy advisor to House Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.” Age 56 … Born in N.Y.C. … Graduate Harvard; Georgetown Law … Mets fan.

--COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS by Lew last June at his alma mater, Forest Hills High School, in Queens: “My father came to this country [from Poland] as a young boy and learned English in the New York City public schools. He went on to become an attorney, and his son went on to advise Presidents. … When I, as a high school student, had a vision of a future in journalism, I never thought that I would end up where I did. … Not a day goes by when I am not thankful for what this city – that I still call home.”

--“REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE RESIGNATION OF CHIEF OF STAFF BILL DALEY” -- State Dining Room, 3:02 P.M. EST: “Last week, my Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, informed me that after spending time reflecting with his family over the holidays, he decided it was time to leave Washington and return to our beloved hometown of Chicago. … I didn’t accept Bill’s decision right away. In fact, I asked him to take a couple of days … But in the end, the pull of the hometown we both love -- a city that’s been synonymous with the Daley family for generations -- was too great. Bill told me that he wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his grandchildren … Bill has been an outstanding Chief of Staff during one of the busiest and most consequential years of my administration. …

“I asked him who … could fill his shoes. He told me that there was one clear choice, and I believe he’s right. So today I’m pleased to announce that Jack Lew has agreed to serve as my next Chief of Staff. … During his first tour at OMB under President Clinton, Jack was the only budget director in history to preside over budget surpluses for three consecutive years. … Ever since he began his career in public as a top aide to Speaker Tip O’Neill, Jack has fought for an America where hard work and responsibility pay off, a place where everybody gets a fair shot.”

-- TNR, “Liberals Hated Daley, But Will They Like Lew Any Better?,” by Noam Schieber: “It was Lew who devised and, along with White House congressional liaison Rob Nabors, executed the strategy of accepting large-looking cuts to the 2011 budget—that’s the one Republicans nearly shut the government down over last March and April—while implementing the cuts in ways that avoided real pain. … There’s … the question of whether accommodating the GOP’s demands for large-looking cuts, even while minimizing them in practice, was as successful strategically as it was tactically. One could argue, after all, that the approach shifted the conversation entirely in the direction of cuts for much of the year, which wasn’t exactly a smashing success. …

“For what it’s worth, one thing I don’t think liberals should get too exercised about, though they probably will, is Lew’s tenure at Citigroup, where he worked between 2006 and 2008. Lew was basically the chief administrator at Citi Alternative Investments, which runs the company’s portfolio of hedge funds and private-equity funds. That is, he was the guy who kept watch over the books and the paperwork, not a guy going out and placing multimillion-dollar bets or making hundred-million dollar deals.” http://bit.ly/xmqOvb

BREAKING – “Alex DeCroce, GOP leader of New Jersey Assembly, collapses and dies in Statehouse men's room -- Gov. Christie: 'Tonight I lost a dear friend, colleague and mentor,’” by AP/Trenton, via N.Y. Daily News: “The Assembly and state Senate members, along with their aides and other staffers, stood stunned as they learned that Assembly Republican leader Alex DeCroce had collapsed and died around 11 p.m. Monday in a men's room at the Statehouse. They had been working with the 75-year-old lawmaker all evening as the Legislature wrapped up its session with a flurry of last-minute bills, and one of his final acts as the GOP leader was to accuse Democrats of casting votes for an absent member. The death threw into turmoil the Legislature's reorganization plans for Tuesday and caused Gov. Chris Christie to delay his annual state-of-the-state address. … Christie planned to deliver remarks about DeCroce on the floor of the Assembly in lieu of his scheduled address.” http://nydn.us/xwsTeW

THE PRESIDENT’S DAY: “In the morning, the President and the Vice President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. The President will then meet with senior advisors. … In the afternoon, the President will join Administrator Lisa Jackson at an EPA staff event to address the men and women of the agency, and thank them for their hard work protecting the air our children breathe and the water we drink. There will be travel pool coverage of the President’s visit. Later in the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will meet with Secretary of Defense Panetta in the Oval Office.”

--THE V.P.’s DAY: “At 7:45 AM, the Vice President will host a breakfast meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Naval Observatory. Later, the Vice President will attend the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. In the afternoon, the Vice President will attend the President’s meeting with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in the Oval Office. At 8:15 PM, the Vice President will participate in a video teleconference with campaign supporters in New Hampshire. There will be print pool coverage of this event.”

GOP 2012, from Kevin Robillard (@PoliticoKevin):

ROMNEY -- “Romney engages Occupiers in N.H.,” by Reid J. Epstein in Bedford: “Romney seemingly announced his support for a federal public financing program for campaigns, ripping President Barack Obama for opting out of it. ‘Hey, instead of shouting, why don’t you say what you mean, what’s your view?’ Romney said during a rally at a school here. ‘Madam, what do you think?’ The woman responded with a gripe about money in politics. Romney pounced. ‘And who’s the president who is spending more money to campaign than any in the history of America?’ he replied, to raucous applause. ‘The answer is, this president is spending money and has spent money, we have had over the history of this country a public funding plan for our presidents, and you know what? This president has been the first one to throw aside the public funding program to break all those barriers and to spend massively more than any president in history.’” http://bit.ly/xCD9gB

PAUL: “Paul’s 1000 points of darkness,” by Charles Mathesian and James Hohmann in Meredith: “There’s no gauzy, uplifting imagery in the Texas congressman’s stump speech, no city on a hill. … [I]n a moment when voters’ own optimism has faded, Paul’s message is clearly resonating. … he’s got crowds showing up at event after event to hear his gloomy scenario of a nation ‘where our personal liberties are under attack’ and an economy that could ‘go over a cliff and suddenly sink rather rapidly.’” http://bit.ly/xOofQJ

GINGRICH: “Newt picks up pace in N.H. campaign,” by Ginger Gibson in Hudson: “The former House speaker has kept a busy schedule of multiple events per day, each following a simple pattern: He speaks for at least 30 minutes, then takes questions for another 30 minutes. At every stop, he remains to shake hands and take pictures with everyone who wants. He punctuates each day with a rush of cable and other news appearances. And at least once a day, sometimes more, he holds a press conference when he’s done.” http://bit.ly/A163i7

--Larry Kudlow, to Winning our Future’s Rick Tyler last night on CNBC: “C’mon Rick, I’ve known you a while. This is left-wing stuff. This is Obama stuff. This is class warfare stuff. And to be perfectly candid, it’s cheap-shot stuff. … This is the kind of thing that can hurt Newt more than help him.”

--Kudlow also said conservative economic guru Art Laffer, who has endorsed Gingrich, was “extremely unhappy” with the ads. Video: http://bit.ly/xEfXrH

MEDIAWATCH – “Lee Woodruff joins CBS News as contributor to ‘CBS This Morning’” – CBS release: “Lee Woodruff has been named Contributor to CBS THIS MORNING, it was announced … by CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager and David Rhodes, President, CBS News. … [Fager:] ‘Her contribution on veterans’ issues will be particularly valuable, in light of the important work she has done with her husband Bob Woodruff on behalf of wounded veterans.’ … [Rhodes:] ‘Her passion for the story of America's veterans is infectious.’ … Chris Licht, Vice President, Programming, CBS News and Executive Producer of CBS THIS MORNING: ‘She offers a unique blend of candor, intelligence and experience that is both stimulating and refreshing.’

“Lee Woodruff is the co-founder, with her husband, … of the Bob Woodruff Foundation (ReMIND.org,), which assists wounded servicemen and their families with receiving the long-term care … The Foundation was established after Bob Woodruff’s miraculous recovery from a critical injury he suffered while on assignment in Iraq in 2006. As co-author of the best-selling book ‘In an Instant,’ Lee Woodruff garnered critical acclaim for the … chronicle of her family's journey to recovery. Her second book, ‘Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress,’ was published in April 2009. Her first novel will be published in September 2012.”

SPORTS BLINK – ROLL TIDE! Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, “GOOD TIDE ROLLS: Alabama wins BCS, shuts out LSU 21-0,” by Josh Moon in New Orleans: “Field goals can be beautiful. In what was essentially a repeat in pace of the previous meeting between Alabama and LSU, the Crimson Tide got five Jeremy Shelley field goals and absolutely smothered the Tigers' offense, allowing them to cross midfield only once. Alabama won its second BCS national championship in three years, 21-0. The Tide moved the ball consistently the entire game in earning the school's 14th national title. Quarterback AJ McCarron … was a solid 23-of-34 for 234 yards. And a group of often-questioned Alabama receivers turned in a nice night even without star Marquis Maze, who went out early with an injury.” http://on.mgmadv.com/wNWszB

** A message from Toyota: Our Toyota team members don't just lend a hand in the places we call home. They lend thousands. Last year alone, Toyota's team members volunteered 100,000 hours in communities all across America. It's how we help make the great community greater still. Check out the action at www.ToyotaInAction.com. **

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Authors:

About The Author

Mike Allen is the chief White House correspondent for POLITICO. He comes to us from Time magazine where he was their White House correspondent. Prior to that, Allen spent six years at The Washington Post, where he covered President Bush's first term, Capitol Hill, campaign finance, and the Bush, Gore and Bradley campaigns of 2000. Before turning to national politics, he covered schools and local governments in rural counties outside Fredericksburg, Va., for The Free Lance-Star, then wrote about Doug Wilder, Oliver North, Chuck Robb and the Bobbitts for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where he nurtured police sources on overnight ride-alongs through housing projects. Allen also covered Mayor Giuliani, the Connecticut statehouse and the wacky rich of Greenwich for The New York Times. Before moving to The Times, he did stints in the Richmond and Alexandria bureaus of The Washington Post. Allen grew up in Orange County, Calif., and has a B.A. from Washington and Lee University, where he majored in politics and journalism.